Rihanna may have sparked AFL teammates' fight

The bizarre story of an AFL player breaking his teammate's jaw during a fight outside a Los Angeles nightclub has taken another step into the realm of weirdness following the revelation that the punch may have been sparked by pop star Rihanna.

Gold Coast Suns player Steven May, 21, had his jaw broken by his 30-year-old colleague Campbell Brown at the Bootsy Bellows nightclub in West Hollywood earlier this week, the Herald Sun reports.

It is unclear what led up to the incident but the club has dismissed reports that the fight was triggered by an argument over a split bill.

However, just as that story was hosed down new reports suggested that the presence of pop star Rihanna triggered the events that will see May undergo surgery.

A group of Suns players were reportedly at the LA nightclub when they were told they had to leave to make way for Rihanna and her entourage following the singer's concert.

The group were said to have left when May attempted to get back inside the venue to get an autograph from the Barbados-born musician.

Sources said that Hawthorn player Josh Gibson, who was with the group, tried to stop May from going back in, prompting May to react angrily by verbally abusing Gibson.

At that point Brown is accused of stepping in and punching May, who is understood not to have reacted to the blow.

"The incident left May with a suspected fractured jaw which is expected to require surgery. No other players were involved," the Suns said in a statement.

"The club is in the process of establishing exactly what happened and all other relevant facts, and is discussing the matter with the two players concerned who have since returned to the Gold Coast ahead of their teammates."